Santo Domingo.-60% of patients who attend public hospitals present conditions that could have been addressed at the first level of care, which shows the urgency of strengthening and fully activating primary care, one of the strategic axes prioritized by the National Health Service (SNS).
This was stated by the director of the SNS, Julio Landrón, during his participation in the Weekly Lunch of the Corripio Communications Group, where he explained that ailments such as lower back pain, fever, diarrhea, depressive symptoms and other common conditions should not be managed in tertiary hospitals.
“We have to decongest the hospitals. The gateway to the system is primary care,” emphasized Landrón, pointing out that this year more resources will be allocated to strengthen first-level centers with multidisciplinary teams, preventive programs and guaranteed supply of medications for chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
Life expectancy
The official explained that one of the Government’s macro objectives is to increase life expectancy from 74.9 years to 77 years by 2028, which implies reducing the incidence of preventable diseases that end up becoming chronic and increasing the costs of the health system.
He warned that many pathologies are not stopped in time and evolve to cause severe organic damage, which makes the expense unsustainable if community prevention is not acted upon.
trauma network
Landrón highlighted that the expansion of the trauma network has contributed to reducing deaths from traffic accidents by more than 30% in December 2024 and 2025, compared to previous periods.
He indicated that specialized hospitals such as Darío Contreras and Ney Arias Lora, together with new trauma centers in different provinces, allow more than 98% of multiple trauma patients who arrive with vital signs to remain alive.
He explained that a patient with a simple fracture can represent a cost of between RD$200,000 and RD$250,000, while cases with craniocerebral or vertebromedullary injuries can exceed one million pesos.
In that sense, he valued that more than 2.5 million people have subsidized insurance that covers prostheses, supplies and medications 100 percent.
Mental health
Regarding mental health, Landrón reported that the system has more than 187 beds in crisis intervention units and that more than 80 hospitals have psychiatrists and psychologists.
He recognized that the country maintains the challenge of increasing the number of specialists, especially child psychiatrists, which until now stands at only 20 doctors, due to the training time required.
These are necessary due to the increase in children and adolescents with mental health disorders, many linked to substance use and suicide attempts.
The director of the Hugo Mendoza Pediatric Hospital, Dhamelisse Then, explained that the center is located in an area where the consumption of illicit substances directly impacts the adolescent population, which presents disorders secondary to consumption.
He stressed that the most frequent cases are self-harm attempts, cutting behaviors and suicide attempts. However, he assured that the center has a mental health department that offers specialized response.
The director of the Robert Reid Cabral Pediatric Hospital, Mabel Jones, agreed with this, saying that they also receive children for consumption and who develop major depression, psychotic episodes and self-harm attempts, as well as abandoned minors or found homeless, a problem that they work on together with Conani.
The director of Maternal, Child and Adolescents of the SNS, Martín Ortiz, reported that teenage pregnancies were reduced by 41%, going from 25,450 cases in 2016 to 15,044 in 2025, supported by the expansion of comprehensive care units for adolescents.
Data of interest
—1— Digital record
The issue is in the pipeline as part of the system’s technological modernization process, to reduce duplication of studies and unnecessary patient expenses.
—2— Budget
It amounts to more than RD$76,443 million.
—3— Foreigners
Care protocol allows for more bed availability.
